A week on from Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions announcement, there has been plenty of brainstorming who is on his standby list for the tour.

The Ireland head coach admitted that further call-ups were “definitely going to happen” with plenty of rugby still to come before the squad leave for Australia.

With the United Rugby Championship and English Premiership finals – set to include Lions players from Leinster, Glasgow Warriors, Sale Sharks, and Bath Rugby – taking place just six days before the team’s first match against Argentina in Dublin, it is expected that reinforcements will be needed.

Dubbed the ‘Dublin Four’, it is likely that the Lions squad will require a hooker, tighthead prop, back three player, and centre for that match.

Let’s assess who those players might be, and who else is in the frame for a call-up in case of injury:

Front Row

The two most likely to be called up in the hooker position are Dewi Lake and Jamie George. Both have captained their countries in the last year, before being overlooked for the recent Six Nations.

Lake is an excellent carrying forward, moving like a number eight in attack and putting in an immense defensive effort. George, by comparison, is a set-piece specialist. The best lineout thrower in Europe and solid at scrum time, he is safe as houses, even if his physicality has waned slightly in recent years.

With Zander Fagerson, Tadhg Furlong and Will Stuart all potentially playing in club finals the week before the Argentina game, Farrell may be very short on tighthead props.

Finlay Bealham, unlucky not to make the squad in the first place, is surely in line for a call up, as could young Englishman Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Rory Sutherland of Scotland.

Second and Back Row

With Farrell selecting six locks for his Lions touring party, it is unlikely that he will need to call anymore up without unfortunate injuries.

If that were the case, Welsh duo Adam Beard and Dafydd Jenkins will surely be the next cabs off the rank, with Scots Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist of two other decent options.

The back row was the most competitive position in the Lions squad, so there is plenty of talent left at home. Taulupe Faletau and Aaron Wainwright are great options at number eight, while English quartet Jack and Tom Willis, Ben Curry, and Sam Underhill would not let the side down.

The whole Scottish back row was overlooked, meaning Rory Darge, Jamie Ritchie, Jack Dempsey, and Matt Fagerson are all on standby too.

Half Backs

Ben White can count himself unlucky to miss out on what sounded like a 50/50 toss up between him and Tomos Williams. He will surely be the first called upon if their is an injury.

Andy Farrell’s son is also quite a good rugby player – if he is in need of some experience Owen Farrell and George Ford could fill that gap in the 10 shirt, while his faith in Sam Prendergast’s talents in well known.

Munster’s Jack Crowley is an outside bet, but seems unlikely considering his recent international performances.

Centres

With only four centres selected, and three of them playing for Glasgow or Leinster who are likely to make the URC final, Farrell will be in need of a call-up or two for the Argentina match.

Robbie Henshaw is probably the best option available and has toured with the Lions before, but is a Leinsterman and therefore likely to be a part of that URC final.

That leaves the door open for a player like Max Llewellyn or Henry Slade to come in as a late call-up.

Back Three

As with the back row, there is plenty of talent left at home in the rank of the back three. Blair Murray has responded to the disappointment of a non-selection with some scintillating performances for Scarlets, while Darcy Graham is a similar type of player that Farrell has overlooked.

England’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is perhaps the unluckiest in this area. A shoe-in back in the winter, the Exeter wing has been injured, missing the Six Nations and much of the club season. He is expected to be back fit sometime during the tour, so he has a small chance of a mid-tour call-up.

For Ireland, the likes of Ciaran Frawley, Jimmy O’Brien, and Jamie Osbourne are all tried and tested by Farrell.

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